Gyroscope.



J. GARDNER. GYROSCOPE. APPLICATION FILED MAY 5. 1914. l lfififififi Patented Apr. 20, 1915.

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Jx GARDNER.

GYROSCOPE.

APPLECAHON FILED MAY 5. 1914.

1,136,6o Patented Apr. 20, 1915.

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- subject of the King of Ireland, and a resident of Knott End, near UNITED-STATESBATENT @FFICE? JOHN GARDNER, orxiv orr END,

NEAR rnnnrwoon, ENGLAND.

GYROSCOPE.

To all whom it may concern I Be it known that I JOHN GARDNER, a Great Britain and Fleetwood, in the county of Lancaster, England, have invented new and-useful Improvements in Gyroscopes, of which the following is a specification.

I have described a construction of gyroscope in which the wheel is mounted uponan axle which can be longitudinally or axially adjusted within a rotatable bush which is eccentrically mounted about the axis of the axle, and as described in the specification to my prior British Letters Patent No. 20135 of 1912 the bearing oi the wheel consists of a. single "row of ballscentrally disposed therein. It is to improvements' in the construction of such a roscope wheel containing such a single ce'ri-' trally disposed row of balls, and mounted upon an axle which is axially adjustable in a 5 a rotary bush mounted eccentrically ab out-'f the axis of the axle that my presentinvention relates. With the described construction, the accurate adjustment of the gyroscope wheel relatively to its frame may be effected, but complete accuracy in running is not always attained as the wheel is capable of slight'axial motion relatively to its axle, and this slight axial motion, as well as being prejudicial to absolute accuracy in the running of the gyroscope, also makes it impossible to true up the wheel While it is running on its own axle and bearing.

The object of the present invention is to attain absolute accuracy in the running of the gyroscope as permitted by'thefemployment of the axial and eccentric adjusting devices, by providing means which prevent the indicated axial motion of the wheel and which will permit the'wheel to be trued up whilerunning on its own axle and bearing.

In the improved gyroscopic wheel constructed according to this invention there is a single row of balls centrally disposed to there areend or thrust ,bearin 8 run around a stationary horizontal or approximately horizontal axle. .Such a single row of balls will be hereinafter referred to as'a single journal hearing. In addition preferably b ls which consisting of two extra rows of each tion'on the axle.

row .of balls 0 which run Very nearly Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Apr, 1915. 7 Application filed May 5, 1914. Serial No. 836,393. I I i are placed in planes parallel and one onv side of'the plane of the singlejournal bearing and are adapted to engage with con-- venient' parts or the wheel or accessories thereto in order to prevent its endwise mo- Such thrust bearings take no part or very little part weight of the wheel."

-. The accompanying drawings I illustrate two forms of bearings constructed to embody my present improvements and also .in bearing the illustrate how the axle is held' and may be adjusted. They as examples. r a

Figure 1.is a horizontal sectional view of a gyroscope wheel and its bearing and stationary horizontal axle, held by one and only in Fig. 2 is an end view of Fig. 3 is a view partly in partly in vertical section of the parts shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 4: is a sectional view of a wheel and axle having a bearing of modified are to be considered simply the inner gimbal. this inner gimbal.

' construction and disposition.' Fig. 5 illus trates how a locking and ance may be combined with spinning applia wheel mounted as shown in Figs. 1 to 3.

lake letters of reference are used to indicatelike parts where they occur in the different drawings.

Referring first to Figs. 1, 2 and 3,'A is the gyroscope wheel mounted so as to revolve around the stationary axle B. G is a centralball race consisting of a bar which is centrally clamped within Contained within the steel steel ring the" wheel.

the axle B. The points of contact between the balls and the ring C and the axle Bare all contained within; or practically within'a' single plane which is coincident witlf-"a planetaken centrally through the mass of the wheel at right angles to its axis, and the bearing formed by the ring G,'the single row of balls 0 and the mile}! 1s a single journal bearing. This bearing carries the wholeor wheel. D D are hard steel washers placed to fit within the eye of the wheel A-"so as to rotate with the wheel. They are bored to a the whole of the weight of the .the latter being side elevation and ringG is a single: around vand upon '90 rin C. and then just leave room for the balls 32' o the single journal bearing to rotate between. them. The outer faces of the rings engaging with the screwed end of the axle.

The bearings formed by the washers D D the balls (Z d and the flanges F F form thrust bearings which prevent axial move ment ofthe wheel A, while they do not bear its weight and leave it free to rotate on the, central sin'gle journal bearing. One end of the axle B is carried in an open ended frame H which acts as the ordinary inner gimbal of a gyroscope and is pivoted at k h to the outer gimbal J. The devices illustrated permit both axial and transverse adjustment to be given to the axle B and the wheel A. The endof the axle B is screwed'eccentric'ally into a cylindrical bush K. This bush is mounted in a hole in thegimbal H so that it can be rotated therein. K is a head by which the bush can be rotated. la is a set screw by which the bush is prevented from turning too freely in the gimbal H. L. is a nut screwing on the end of the axle against the gimbal H. The bush K is shorter than the thickness of the gimbal, so when the nut L is screwed up the bush is locked in place posed slightly above or below it.

' pivots.

in the'gimbal. When the nut L is loosened the axle B can be turned in the bush Kso as to move'the axle and wheel-axially relatively to the gimbal H and bush K, and the bush K can be turned angularly so as to move the axle and wheel transversely relatively to the gimbal. Bythese adjusting devices the position of-the wheel and of the axle relatively to the axis of thepivots it it may be adjusted as desired so that the axis of rotation'of the wheel can be brought to intersect the axis of the pivots or be dis- For absolute, balance and quiet running of the wheel in a vertical plane the two axes should intersect, and the central transaxial plane of thewheel and the plane of the central hearing should also pass through the axis of the b is an adjustable counterbalance weighton the end of the axle. M M are Weights on the ends of the open gimbal H.

A modification (if the bearing is shown in Fig. 4. In this the balls 03 (l of the thrust bearings bear directly against the faceof a central fin or web a of the wheel and they are'disposed in shallow grooves which form circles of greater diameter than the diameter of the central single journal bearing.

Thesegrooves are formed in the faces of the weba and in the inner faces of; the flanges F 1g. .5 shows how an air turbine may be employed to spin the wheel. 0 is an air turbine wheel secured to the shaft 0 which rotates in the sleeve P. This sleeve can be longitudinally moved carrying-theshaft and wheel with it. When the turbine wheel is in the position shown in Fig.5 an axial extension of it enters between the open ends or sides of the-gimbalfH,- receives' axially within itself the end- 6 of the axle B, and by means of pins 0 0' engages with holesin the face of the wheel When the turbine wheel 0 is rotated it rotates around the end .6 of the axle and spins the wheel. When sufiicient velocity has been imparted to the' gyroscope wheel the sleeve P is moved in the direction of the arrow and withdraws the turbine wheel and its accessories from the axle B and wheel A, leaving the gyroscrip: free. a

y other convenient means and devices for spinning the gyroscope wheel and for locking its axle in place during such spinning may be adopted. For example vanes may be formed on the wheel A and air under pressure may be conducted through the axle so as to escape through suitable perforations and to impinge on such vanes and drive the wheel;

- What I claim is r-- r 1. Ina gyroscope, a gimbal frame, a stationaryaxle'iadjustably carried thereby, a gyroscopic Wheel supported on said axle, a bearinginterposed between said axle and wheel consisting of a single row of balls lying in a fixed plane perpendicular to the axis of said axle and passing through the cen'terof inertia of said wheel, a row of balls arranged on each side of said central row, and races for they balls, one of said racesbeing carried by each of the side facesof said wheel and the others of said races being supported on said axle, the wearing faces of said races being in parallelism with the fixed plane aforesaid whereby the mass particles of said wheelare forced to rotate in exact parallelism with said fixed plane.

2. In a gyroscope, a gyroscopic wheel, a stationary axle therefor, a gimbal frame, an adjustable eccentric support carried by said frame into which one end of said axle is threaded, theother end of saidaxle being s free, a bearing interposed between said axle and wheel, consisting of a single row of balls lying in a fixed plane perpendicular to the axis of said axle and passing'through the Y and the other of said races being supported on said axle,.the wearing faces of said races being in exact parallelism with the fixed plane aforesaid whereby the gyroscopic my hand in the presence of two subscribing zw li l may be adjusted to a; nicfety lziotfh lonwitnesses.

tu ma an transverse o sai mme, T giid the miss particles of sZid Wheel forced JOHN GARDI 5 to rotate in exactparallelism to said fixed Witnesses:

plne' FREDERICK STANLEY PLANT,

In witness whereof I have hereunto set FRED COWERL. 

